WHY STORIES?

WHY STORIES? is a series of thought-provoking and inspiring documentary films about the world we live in.

“All people should see these films, because you don’t know how the world is, until you have.” Mary Wilkinson, Head of BBC World News...

Based on the premise that all people everywhere have the right to free and accurate information, WHY STORIES brings critically acclaimed documentaries to communities around the world on a sliding-fee scale. To ensure we reach people in the world's most undeserved communities WHY STORIES? are donated to underfunded broadcasters and dubbed into local languages.

WHY STORIES? is a series of thought-provoking and inspiring documentary films about the world we live in.

“All people should see these films, because you don’t know how the world is, until you have.” Mary Wilkinson, Head of BBC World News...

Based on the premise that all people everywhere have the right to free and accurate information, WHY STORIES brings critically acclaimed documentaries to communities around the world on a sliding-fee scale. To ensure we reach people in the world's most undeserved communities WHY STORIES? are donated to underfunded broadcasters and dubbed into local languages.

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Films and media

Documentaries

Our preeminent documentary strand is curated annually and distributed through BBC World News and to over 70 local broadcast partners. These films are not available to watch online, but you can read more about each of the films in our series here:

A criminal who didn’t commit a crime. A mystery murder without a body. A look at the corrupt Philippine legal system, like a Kafkaesque story, featuring false witnesses, cover-ups and human rights violations.

Will Bolivian president Evo Morales ever be able to deliver on his promise of a Guevara-style revolution?

Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous President struggles to empower the poor and end systemic corruption. Comparatively Jiovana Naivis, a corrupt politician witnesses the social change from her prison cell.

As Yemen moves toward an important turning point in the 2011 revolution, documentary filmmaker Sean McAllister follows his guide Kais, a young father who prefers to look on at the tumult from a distance.

Federal Penal Colony No. 56 is situated in central Russia, in a forest larger than Germany and a seven- hour drive from the nearest city. There are 260 prisoners serving out their sentences, all of them for murder.

In Democratic Republic of the Congo the mass rape of women by soldiers, is an accepted weapon of war. Here a number of soldiers tell their stories in an effort to acknowledge the atrocities they have committed.

Will Or be accepted by their community after gender reassignment surgery?

The incredible story of Or, a 22-year-old Israeli person secretly saving up for reassignment surgery in Thailand. A tale about fear, self-doubt, willpower, the importance of family and being able to be who you are.

How do the mothers' of illegitimate children battle social stigma in a country where sex outside of marriage is illegal?

In Morocco, as in all Muslim countries, sex outside marriage is illegal and women bear the brunt of society’s disapproval. But what is the fate of the children of those single mothers? They are denied jobs, housing and condemned to a life of discrimination. Bastards is the first film to tell this story from a mother’s point of view.

After the discover of oil, will Ghana manage to avoid becoming the latest resource-cursed African country?

Big Men is an epic adventure of high-stakes capitalism, with shockingly intimate access to company executives, government officials and gun-toting militants. Kosmos Energy, a Dallas-based oil company, discovers Ghana’s first oil. Can they develop the field and maximize profits as everyone involved tries to gain as much as possible?

In May 2009, Rodrigo Rosenberg, a wealthy, charismatic lawyer went cycling near his home in Guatemala City and was murdered. What was extraordinary is that Rosenberg knew, for certain, he was about to be killed. A brilliant investigation, a journey into Rosenberg’s soul and Guatemala’s hell, that after multiple twists and turns, reached a stunning revelation.

When Japan’s economy crashed in the early 1990s Naoki lost everything, ending up divorced and penniless - he was saved from homelessness by his new girlfriend, 29-year-old Yoshie who works at sleazy bar where she is paid to drink and flirt with married men. This films tell the unusual love story of survival in the world’s second richest economy.

This film follows Claudine, a young and courageous human rights lawyer, in her struggle against injustice and widespread impunity in Congo. Her investigation into the case of a young soldier convicted of rape, opens her up to a world of widespread corruption seemingly instigated by foreign aid.

Can photographer Rax capture the unique lifestyle of his friends in the Arctic before it disappears?

This film follows RAX a world renowed photographer based in Iceland. Rax is on a mission: to document the deteriorating lifestyles of the Northern Hemisphere and bring them to the eyes of the world before it‘s too late.

Can miners on strike in South Africa achieve their aim of better wages?

In August 2012, mineworkers in one of South Africa’s biggest platinum mines began a wildcat strike for better wages. Six days later, the police used live ammunition to brutally suppress the strike, killing 34 and injuring many more. The documentary follows the strike from day one, showing the courageous but isolated fight waged by a group of low paid workers.

Fearless, feisty and resolute, the “Rough Aunties” are a remarkable group of women unwavering in their stand to protect and care for the abused, neglected and forgotten children of Durban, South Africa.

Will a young girl from Iran be able to defy familial and social expectations to become an Astronaut?

This documentary follows Sepideh from her evenings spent explorig the universe, to her teaming up with the world's first female space tourist Anousheh Ansari - all in pursuit of her ambition to become an astronaut.

This film intimately captures the stories of three Cambodians: two human traffickers and a victim. It highlights the consequences of the trafficking business on their individual fates and shows how their humanity ends up trapped by this invisible plague.

When British Brain Surgeon Henry Marsh first visited the KGB Hospital in Kiev in the early 1990s, patients were dying from simple brain tumors left untreated. This documentary follows Marsh as he openly confronts the dilemmas of the doctor-patient relationship on his latest mission to the Ukraine.

Are vasectomies a viable solution to the environmental issues caused by overpopulation?

THE VASECTOMIST follows Dr Doug Stein, an urologist from small town Florida on a mission to save the planet by “spreading the gospel of vasectomy”. It is a journey through difficult and divisive issues, crossing cultural, religious and political taboos, which ultimately provokes a new conversation about over-population, over-consumption and the planet’s environmental tipping point.

Is it love for another person or love for your country which gives us the greatest sense of belonging?

Comrades and lovers Amer and Raghda met in a Syrian prison. 15 years and 4 children later, Award-winning director Sean McAllister follows the family over 5 years, as the Arab Spring sweeps the region.The film charts their incredible odyssey to political freedom, documenting their dreams and despair: for the revolution, their homeland and each other.

What impact does the Danish asylum system have on families seeking refugee status?

This Film follows 10-year-old Magomed an asylum seeker from Chechnya, as he adjusts to life in Denmark. . But his new life with new friends takes on a dark and heartbreaking turn when the decision about the family’s application for asylum comes with both good and bad news.

Will Coach Zoran unite South Sudan through its first ever national football team?

South Sudan became an independent state in July 2011, following al- most 50 years of civil war. This film follows veteran Serbian coach Zoran Djordjevic as he seeks to forge the first national football team in the new country.

How is the fight against the Taliban contributing to the exploitation of young boys in Afghanistan?

In Southern Afghanistan hundreds of boys as young as 10, living in extreme poverty, are lured off the streets on the promise of a new life away from destitution, unaware their real fate is to be used for entertainment and sex.

What can the stories of people in Detroit tell us about the evolution of American identity?

An owner of a blues bar, a young blogger, an auto union rep, a group of young artists, an opera impresario and a gang of illegal “scrappers” make up an unlikely chorus that illuminates the tale of both a city and a country in a soul-searching mood, desperate for a new identity.

Is it possible to reform the US criminal justice system to realize "justice for all"?

Gideon's Army follows Travis Williams, Brandy Alexander and June Hardwick, three young public defenders who are part of a small group of idealistic lawyers in the Deep South challenging the assumptions that drive a criminal justice system strained to the breaking point. Can these courageous lawyers revolutionize the way America thinks about indigent defence and make “justice for all” a reality?

Girl Model follows two protagonists involved in this industry: Ashley, a deeply ambivalent model scout who scours the Siberian countryside looking for fresh faces to send to the Japanese market, and one of her discoveries, Nadya, a thirteen year-old plucked from the Siberian countryside and dropped into the center of Tokyo with promises of a profitable career.

How is the American Evangelical movement fuelling Uganda's turn towards violent homophobia?

Academy Award-winning Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams explores the role of the American Evangelical movement in fueling Uganda’s terrifying turn towards biblical law and the proposed death penalty for homosexuality. . Shocking and enlightening, touching and horrifying, God Loves Uganda will leave you questioning just how closely this brand of Christianity resembles the one you think you know.

In Kanpur, India, putting oneself in harm’s way to deliver electrical power is all too common. Powerless illuminates the political power struggles taking place across Kapur through the lens of the city's electrical supply.

Will 10 year old Yula be able to realize her dream to escape life on the largest garbage dump in Europe?

For 14 years, Oscar-nominated director Hanna Polak follows Yula as she grows up in the forbidden territory of Svalka, the largest garbage dump in Europe and 13 miles from the Kremlin in Putin’s Russia. A dramatic cinema story about coming of age, and maturing to the point of taking destiny into one’s own hands, Putin's Forgotten Children offers a universal message of hope, courage, and life.

Will fame and success will change the life of Cambodia's newest Pop Diva for the better?

When an Australian musician meets a poor Cambodian woman in a Karaoke bar, their tempestuous cross-cultural romance results in the birth of The Cambodian Space Project, a thrilling musical explosion that wows audiences world- wide with sounds from the 1960s and ‘70s golden age of Cambodian rock.

Does the collision of cultural values offer fresh insights into the 2011 Olympus Scandal?

This film explores the fallout from the Olympus Corporation scandal in 2011, when the multi-billion dollar Japanese optical company, suddenly dismissed its president and CEO. British-born Michael Woodford was dismissed 6 months into his tenure for blowing the whistle on the 1.7 billion dollar fraud that the company had been keeping secret for more than 20 years.

Will young Roma women get the opportunity to pursue their life aspirations?

Every summer, a few brave Roma girls will enter a beauty pageant in the bid to be called Miss Roma. But what if their dream is not a marriage proposal, but to go to high school and get a diploma? With extraordinary access and seldom-seen intimacy, we follow three young women on their journey of high stakes and self-discovery.

How do saunas encourage men in Finland to reveal their sensitive sides?

Fat men, thin men, old men, men who dress as Santa, vagrants: all of them go to the Finnish sauna. If they don’t have a sauna nearby, they build one. Naked and sweaty, surrounded by steam, the Fins reveal their sensitive sides. In this film, personal, moving stories are interspersed with footage of the beautiful Finnish landscape.

How can the construction of a new road alter the fabric of a remote community in China?

This documentary follows the dramatic changes that take place in Hunan, a province in central China, after the construction of a major new road is announced. As people from across the country flock here with the hope of finding work on the road, local villagers are forced to adapt.

How can a former child soldier recover from a childhood mared by violence?

The film tells the story of Agel, a former child soldier who returns to South Sudan to help build up his country. The film accompanies him over a period of two years – from South Sudan gaining its independence in 2011 to the renewed outbreak of civil war in December 2013.

Using the power of strong storytelling as the foundation of the campaign, six compelling and informative documentary films will uncover the lives of men, women and children living as slaves in all corners of the world. Whether it is the deeply flawed Kafala System in the Middle East or the prolific number of children bought and sold in India, the WHY SLAVERY? series will shine a light on the millions of lives lived in the shadow of enslavement.Following the unprecedented success of Why Democracy? and Why Poverty? THE WHY is creating a ground-breaking new cross-media project that asks why slavery remains so endemic in the 21st Century.We aim to create the largest ever public media campaign about modern slavery reaching an unprecedented number of people through broadcast partners, online engagement, and in public spaces like schools, libraries, museums factories, and even football stadiums.

What’s a Rich Text element?

The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

How to customize formatting for each rich text

Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.

Impact

WHY STORIES was launched in an effort to give the many tremendous, thought-provoking and touching documentary films a longer life and a broader audience. In recognition that most people – including those who cannot read and write – still watch TV, The Why set up WHY STORIES, to distribute 20 documentary films every year to public broadcasters, targeting specifically broadcasters in low and middle income countries.

Reach new audiences

An estimated 600 million people have seen our WHY STORIES series, from Palestine to India, Nicaragua to the Philippines. By creating dubbed language versions of our films we ensure they are broadly accessible to diverse audiences around the world.

Support social justice campaigns

WHY STORIES films put important human rights issues, from LGBT rights in Uganda, corruption in Congo and Indigenous rights in Peru, in the spotlight.

Strengthen public media

By donating high-quality journalism to countries without the tradition or budget for factual film-viewing WHY STORIES supports public media providers around the world; from Colombia to Mongolia.

To find out more about our impact download the individual impact reports under materials

Outreach

In addition to the broadcast of Why Slavery? films we are working with schools, universities, non-profit organizations and film festivals around the world to ensure the films reach a broad and diverse audience.